‘When he was little, he couldn’t listen or speak properly… he’s made us proud’

‘When he was little, he couldn’t listen or speak properly… he’s made us proud’

For now, Prashant just wants to “enjoy my free time and plan my future’’.

Chandigrah |
Published:June 20, 2014 4:07 am

Prashant Mittal with his family. (Kshitij Mohan)

By: Karan Lugani

Prashant Mittal has set up a milestone for those who dare to think big. The Chandigarh boy with a hearing problem has bagged the top rank in the JEE exam in the category of differently abled candidates. His overall rank is 1,731.

A student of Mount Carmel, Prashant wants to pursue computer sciences from IIT-Delhi and ultimately become an IAS officer. A cricket lover, he dedicated seven hours to studies daily.

“All it needs to crack the JEE exam is to stay focused and work hard. My sole inspiration is my uncle who is an IRS officer, posted in Tamil Nadu. He is excited to know my rank and will soon be coming to meet me in Chandigarh,” said the 18-year-old.

Prashant also prepared for the exam at a coaching centre. He feels that the coaching centres should be a little sensitive towards the needs of differently abled students.

For now, Prashant just wants to “enjoy my free time and plan my future’’.

His father Rajesh Mittal, who has a trading business in Industrial Area, said, “When Prashant was four and a half years old, we discovered that he could not listen or speak properly. He could not understand anything on the television. It took five or six years of treatment when he started responding to our questions.”

He added, “We never felt a need to send him to a special school because he did so well in his studies later. His teachers never complained.’’

Prashant’s mother Sarla Mittal, a homemaker, said, “I had never expected that he would even manage to clear his class XII board exams, but he did it so well, securing 95.2 per cent marks overall, and 100 per cent in mathematics. Now, by securing such a good rank, he has made us proud. His father was a great support, even for a single chapter of any subject he would arrange a tutor for him.”